In the Philippines New Year’s Eve is fun and crazy. It involves huge family gatherings, tons of food, lots of fireworks and noise, street parties and karaoke until the wee hours of the morning. Here are some traditions I grew up with :

1. Prepare a bountiful and lavish feast with lechon (roast pig), use premium ingredients to start the year with abundance.
2. Avoid chicken on the menu, it represents “isang kahig, isang tuka” or food scarcity.
3. Round food symbolizes luck and money. It is customary to find queso de bola or round Edam cheese, and a basket of round fruits becomes the table centerpiece.
4. From the Spanish, we learned to eat 12 grapes representing each month of the year for luck.
5. Serve sticky food like rice cakes for close family ties and also for luck to stick to you. 6. From the Chinese we learned…